


Job Not Done

by elas_bubble



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, First Meetings, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-10-10 09:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20525924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elas_bubble/pseuds/elas_bubble
Summary: Actually, Deran has the assignment to scout a possible target for one of her next heists. Instead, he meets a beautiful stranger, who not only causes him to forget his mission, but also makes him question his previous life choices.





	1. Chapter 1

It is the perfect weather in Oceanside. The perfect condition to head down to the beach and to spend at least a couple of hours in the water to wait for the perfect waves. Work has been hard the last couple of weeks. Deran is glad that business is booming, but he misses the good old days when he could go surfing whenever he wanted. And, of course, the moment he finally has the time to head down to the beach, J calls them for a meeting. Call himself a lucky bastard. On the other hand, it is time for them to plan the next job though. It has been a while. After Smurf’s death, they had to lay low for quite some time. Too much attention was on them. But now that almost two months have passed, things have calmed down. They are finally good to go back to business.

Deran steers his car through the entrance gate of his old home and stops in front of the garage. After Smurf's death, the Cody men have discussed what they should do with the house. Selling it has not been an option. Over the years they have built it in such a way that their secrets are all perfectly hidden, so that even if the cops show up unannounced, they wouldn't find anything. They would be stupid to give something like this up voluntarily. Still, no one really wants to live here permanently again. Deran and Craig have no interest in coming back, both being very comfortable in their respective apartments. Craig lives at Baz’ old place and Deran in a studio apartment perfectly located between the strand and his bar. J is out and about most of the time, always sleeping somewhere else. It would be a waste to hand him the property. So, Pope is the lucky one who gets stuck with the house. Deran must admit, it still feels a bit weird coming here without Smurf around although nothing much has really changed. The house is in perfect condition as ever, as Pope has the same obsession with cleanliness as Smurf - the food is less good though. 

He sees Craig’s bike, which he hardly ever rides anymore since he became a responsible father of a family, and J’s SUV. ‘Good, so everybody is already here’, Deran thinks. If he is lucky and they hurry up and get this over with quickly, he might still have time to head down to the ocean.

He passes the pool, walks into the kitchen, grabs a beer from the fridge and heads towards the living room, where he hears the voices of his brothers and his nephew come from. To his surprise Frankie is also with them. He hasn’t seen her since that art job, they did for her a couple of months ago. He had no idea that Craig is still in contact with her. He thought, he was done with Frankie. Especially now that Renn is back in Craig’s life.

He shrugs his shoulders, not really caring what or who his brother is doing. Deran is just glad that he has nothing to do with any of that crap. Relationships. Judging by the love lives of his brothers and J, this whole romance thing is not worth the hassle. All the nagging and fighting is too much. He enjoys his freedom. He can come and go whenever he wants; he can do whatever he likes, and he doesn’t have to explain himself to anyone. He is his own man and if he wants to blow off some steam, he knows a couple of guys who know what he likes and are all too eager to please him, and, what is even more important, they know when to shut up and when to leave.

If he is honest, he has never really met anyone who he thought was worthy of getting attached to. Some time ago, he had a fling with a nurse for a month or so. He was nice enough; they shared some interests and he was easy on the eyes. So, for a quick second, Deran considered to change his pattern and give the whole relationship thing a chance, but then the guy started to get clingy, and asked all these questions, so Deran ended it immediately. After that fiasco, he didn’t let anyone get close again. When he meets someone, he makes sure the other guy knows, that what they have, is only casual, that he doesn’t owe them anything and if they cannot deal with it, they are free to go.

Deran shakes his head to get rid of these thoughts and draws his attention towards the conversation in the living room. He walks down the steps and falls onto the big sofa. He rests his feet on the table, takes out a cigarette, lights it up and watches the rest of the group expectantly.

“Thanks for honoring us with your presence,” says Pope sarcastically, shoving Deran’s legs off the table. Deran responds to the comment with a smug smile. “You're welcome.”

Pope is not having it though. “You’re late! We said two pm, now it’s almost three.”

Deran holds up his hands defensively. “Sorry, okay. It wasn’t my fault. I had to wait for a delivery and the guys got there delayed.”

“Ever heard of a phone?” But Pope lets it pass and turns to the other ones.

“Okay, now that we’re all here. We need to talk about our next job. J and I were brainstorming the other day and came up with a couple of ideas. But we also want to get your input. J, why don’t you start?”

He passes the word to his nephew, who sits up straight in his seat and nods. “Right. You know that it hasn’t been easy the last couple of weeks with Smurf gone and the police snooping around. So, I suggest we slightly change our style and think a bit outside the box. I think it would be good, if we consider jobs that we normally wouldn’t do. That way, we lower the chances that the cops might be able to connect us with anything.”

The rest of the group considers his words and there is agreeable nodding. Craig takes a huge gulp from his bottle and after he has swallowed, he asks:

“Sounds good, what’s the plan?”

“There is no plan yet,” J must admit. “We have a couple of ideas, but nothing is definite yet. All of them need more work. I’d suggest we go through them all and select four that sound the most promising. Then each of us picks one and does some research on location, like checking out the scene, getting intel on security, searching for cameras, entrances, exits, and so on. Then we meet here again and decide together which job has the most potential.

Deran points to Frankie. “What is she doing here?” J looks first at Frankie and then at his uncle. “She has some interesting ideas. I think we should consider them.”

“So, we work with her again? After last time? We trust her again?” Deran questions. “Let’s hear her out. That doesn’t hurt anyone, does it? If we don’t like it, we don’t have to do it. But I really think she has some good suggestions.” Deran seems satisfied with this and excitedly rubs his hands together: “Okay, let’s hear it.”

Relatively quickly Deran has to give up his hopes that the meeting will be over soon, and that he can still go to the beach afterwards. For the next couple of hours, they discuss more than 10 possible targets. Each of them shows promise but the longer they debate and evaluate the different scenarios, the more they also expose weaknesses. These discussion circles of them, when everybody can openly address their concerns and potential flaws, have proven to be an essential part of the heist. Each of them has a special skillset. And just when they are joined together and unify their talents, they work the most successfully. In the end they decide on four potential hits: Robbing a jeweler in downtown LA, hitting a high-quality liquor store that deals with rare high-priced cognacs, wines and whiskeys, an art gallery that opens soon and hosts the works of young upcoming artists and one job that is completely out of their field of expertise but promises high payment. This one includes blackmailing the Dean of J’s college with his connection to some sleazy, underground gang and his secret affair with a stripper. It is a good selection. To Deran’s surprise, two of their potential hits - the jeweler and the art gallery - were Frankie’s input. So it maybe hasn't been the worst idea to get her involved.

As J was the one detecting the secret life of the Dean and because he has the best connection and cover story to actually be on campus, he picks this job. The rest of the Codys are not very keen on doing the research for this one anyway, so there is no discussion and everybody agrees.

Pope chooses the jeweler and doesn't accept any objection. He is not entirely convinced about this target, so he wants to investigate the place himself to know if it is solid. "Better save, than sorry", is all he has to say to this.

That leaves the liquor store and the art gallery for Craig and Deran. Both want to do the liquor store. Their discussion turns heated rather quickly. “Come on, man. I own a fucking bar. It should be me. I can go there and ask around without anyone questioning my motives,” Deran raises his argument.

Craig jumps up, invades Deran’s personal space and points a finger in Deran’s face. “Yeah, maybe. But I also know alcoholic beverages, Deran. You don’t have to own a bar to shop in these stores,” counters Craig. “Plus, I have worked with Frankie multiple times before and people know my face. What if someone shows up there and recognizes me. What if, we do this job and someone remembers me afterwards. Then we are all fucked.”

“Come on, what are the chances? Besides, this is clearly an excuse. You just don’t want to do it,” yells Deran while getting up from his seat as well and pushing Craig.

“Well, neither do you.”

Frankie gets in the middle of the two men. “Okay, boys. Calm down. I need professionals doing this and not two fighting toddlers. So, let’s all be grown-ups here. I am convinced both of you could do the job. So, why not let destiny decide. She picks up a lighter and puts it in one hand. Then she hides both of her hands behind her back, passes the lighter from one hand to the other several times so that neither Deran nor Craig can tell in which hand she holds it and pulls both hands back to the front. “Pick one!” She tells the boys.

Deran looks at her unimpressed. “You’re serious?” Frankie challenges him. “Do you have a better idea? This is fair and we come to an actual result. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can start to work.”

Deran rolls his eyes, showing his annoyance, but agrees, nonetheless. “Right,” he chooses. Craig approves with a nod. So, it is “Left” for him. When Frankie opens her hands, Craig shouts with joy. Frankie has the lighter in her left hand. She seems just as disappointed as Deran, who falls back down on the couch, accepting his fate. “Okay then. Tell me more about the thing. What do I need to know?”

Frankie sits down next to him and starts explaining the backstory of her plan. The rest of the Codys move to leave the living room. Craig, however, cannot stop himself from rubbing his win in his little brother's face. “Have fun, dude,” he gloats and pokes Deran in his side. The latter knocks his brother’s hand away and tries to make Craig trip while he passes him. When he sees Frankie’s scolding gaze, he stops and apologizes. “I am listening now. You were telling me about the owner of the gallery being a wealthy dude who acts as a generous sponsor for young, promising artists. Please go on.” Frankie nods satisfied that Deran is at least paying attention to her and continues. “The opening will be next week. This is the perfect setting to check out the place. There are two paintings my client is interested in. I’ll provide you with an invitation to the opening. It is an exclusive gathering, so please behave yourself. You'll need to fit in the crowd to not draw any unnecessary attention to you. You will use a different identity of course. I am still waiting on some last information regarding this, so I’ll send you the details later. The opening starts Friday at 8pm. Be there on time.”

Deran promises her to be on his best behavior. “Will you be there as well?” Deran hopes to have someone there who actually knows a thing or two about art but Frankie shakes her head. “No. It is better this way. If I want to continue working in these circles, I should not be seen at too many places that get robbed later.”

Saturday approaches soon enough and at around 6 pm, Deran starts to get ready. He takes a quick shower, brushes his teeth and stands in front of the mirror pondering whether he should wear his hair up or down. As he doesn’t know what to expect from that evening, having his hair out of his face, might be the better option. He ties his hair back in a messy bun and starts to put on his suit - no not his suit. His suit is, according to Frankie, a fashion disgrace. Apparently grey suits are so 2010. That is why, Frankie stopped by yesterday and dropped off a blue suit. “Wear this. It should fit. And please, Deran, don’t embarrass yourself and most importantly do not embarrass me!”

He must admit, Frankie has good taste and an even better eye. The suit fits perfectly. He is not one for complementing himself, but he looks good. He might have to keep that suit. You never know when you need to impress someone. He grabs the invitation with the name “Ethan Miller” on it and steps out of his apartment where he immediately comes to a stop. Right next to his Scout parks a black Porsche in front of his building. He circles the car and whistles approvingly. Normally sports cars are not his preferred kind of wheels as they attract far too much attention but for tonight he doesn’t mind driving this beauty. He finds a note on the windshield. ‘Keys are in the glove compartment. Enjoy!’

Deran smiles, gets in the car, takes out the key and starts the engine. ‘Showtime!’

The opening was as boring as he has feared it would be. Just a bunch of yuppies, too rich to know what to do with their money, sipping expensive champagne and having pretentious conversations. Now he knows why Frankie wanted him to drive the Porsche. Arriving in a car like that, makes him fit in perfectly but the moment he sets a foot in the exhibition hall, Deran can tell that he is way out of his comfort zone. Aimlessly he walks through the hall, passing the first showpieces and feeling quite uncomfortable in his own skin. He knows, he is here to do a job, but without a couple of drinks he won’t survive this evening. He spots the bar to his right and heads over there. He orders a Gin Tonic and while he waits for his drink, his eyes are searching the room. The art pieces look rather modern. Many sculptures, some kind of trendy, digital installations but the majority are abstract and colorful paintings. Frankie’s client is interested in two pieces by one of the most discussed, fresh artists. Deran has never heard of him but he really is no art expert. He scans the exhibits on the walls to see if he can already make out the ones he is after. So far, no luck. So, he’ll have to take a closer look later on. His cocktail is ready, and he thanks the bartender while reaching for it. He takes a sip and as he turns back around, his gaze falls on a young man sitting on a bench in front of a large window. That man is beautiful - a word he has never used to describe another person before but in this case, there is no other way to put it. Any other word would not do that guy justice, Deran has to admit. As far as he can tell, the other man is tall, has a slender body, blonde/redish hair and the most fascinating eyes.

Without noticing it, Deran begins to approach the man who sits there alone while taking little sips from his glass. But before Deran can reach him, a third person steps in: “Adrian, here you are. I was looking for you all over the place.”

“Well, now you found me,” answers the handsome stranger - Adrian apparently. Deran likes that name. You don’t hear it too often and it suits him, he reckons. And he also likes the soft tone of the other man’s voice. “Is there something you need, Mr. O’Connor?” Deran hears Adrian asking. Judging by his sudden icy and distant attitude, Adrian is not thrilled that this man is talking to him. He shifts a little away from the older one, puts his glass on the floor and crosses his arms in front of his chest. The man who Adrian has addressed as Mr. O’Connor, however, is not aware of any of this. ”Mr. O'Connor? Why so formal? I told you to call me James."

“This is a kind offer, but I don’t think I can accept this Mr. O’Connor,” Adrian replies stressing the last part. “Considering you are the business partner of my grandfather.”

Deran knows that he shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but that O’Connor dude behaves like a massive creep who apparently cannot take a hint. He now sits down next to the younger man and moves closer and closer. When he raises his hand with the clear intention to put it on Adrian's thigh, Deran is about to jump in the middle of the scene but there is no need to interfere. It seems that Adrian can take care of himself quite well. He catches that creep’s hand in midair and pushes it away. “I don’t think this is very appropriate and I also don’t think my grandfather would appreciate his business partner hitting on to his grandson.” Adrian sounds determined but remains relatively polite. Deran must applaud the other one for staying so calm. If some old fuck would make a move on him like this, he definitely breaks his fingers. But even after that, the old man does not get that ‘No’ means ‘No’. Again, he tries to touch Adrian's body and that is the moment when Deran has enough. He steps towards Adrian, bends down to him and puts his arm around the other one’s neck. “Babe, I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. Traffic was a nightmare.” Adrian looks at him confused but catches up within a second. He understands what Deran is doing and plays along. He smiles at Deran and leans towards him, his nose touching Deran’s cheek. The latter almost forgets how to breathe. “That is no problem. I am happy you are here now.” He turns towards his grandfather's business partner, gives him a small and apologetical smile, stands up and says: “I am so sorry, Mr. O’Connor that I have to cut this short and leave you on your own but I haven’t seen my boyfriend for a very long time, so I need a moment alone with him. I hope you understand.” Without waiting for a response, he drags Deran with him and heads towards the second exhibition hall - to get as far away as possible from that old bastard.

When Adrian is convinced, he is out of earshot, he looks at Deran and bursts into laughter. “This was the most cliché moment of my entire life. The handsome stranger saves the damsel in distress from the bad, bad man.” Deran is first a bit dumbfounded but watching Adrian laugh is contagious, so he joins in. “Thank you, man. You really helped me out there. That old fuck is after me for months now. If he weren't the business partner of my grandfather and an important financier of this whole thing,” he explains while pointing to the art pieces, “I’d just punch him in the face, but sadly he is and so I have to bite my tongue and just avoid his presence.” Adrian shivers briefly, apparently disgusted by the thought of the older man. He then looks up and into Deran’s eyes and a smile forms around his lips. Deran cannot help but stare at him. ’He has the most beautiful smile’. He is surprised by his own behavior. ’What is wrong with me? This is not like me. I don’t act like this.’ He is pulled back to reality when Adrian touches his hand. “You coming?” he asks. Deran must look at him with a confused expression, which Adrian, still holding on to Deran’s hand, ignores. He simply pulls Deran after himself, passes the bar, grabs a bottle of champagne and walks towards a door in the back, never losing the grip on Deran’s hand.

They reach another door and by walking through it, they step in a little backyard. “No one ever comes here,” says Adrian and sits down on the ground. “Whenever life is shitty, I hide here and wait till it gets better.” He taps on the spot next to him indicating that he wants Deran to sit down as well, which he does. When they both find a somewhat comfortable sitting position, Adrian pops the champagne. “To my knight in shining armor!” He raises the bottle and takes a large gulp. He then hands it over to Deran who also takes a sip. Adrian leans back at the wall and watches the other one closely. “Thank you. I know I was joking before, but I really appreciate you stepping in.” Deran nods. “Of course! Everybody would have done it.”

“Yeah, maybe. But I am glad someone as handsome as you did it. If I have to pretend I have a boyfriend, he at least should be hot,” Adrian teases again and winks as Deran who feels his face turning red. Adrian must have noticed it too, because he gently touches Deran's face and traces the revealing blush with his fingers. Once he realizes what he is doing, Adrian jerks his hand back. “Sorry! I don’t know what has gotten into me. I normally can keep my hands to myself, I promise. You must think I'm such a weirdo, just touching you like this. I am really sorry. I don’t even know if you are gay, or interested … or even your name for that matter.” 

“It is not a problem. I really don’t mind,” Deran is eager to clarify, hoping that the other man understands the true meaning behind this sentence. But before answering the second question, Deran remembers that he is using a different personality for tonight. He hesitates. Something stops him from introducing himself with a fake name. He wants to get to know Adrian as himself and not as Ethan Miller. So, he says. “And, it’s Deran.”

“Deran.” Adrian tries the name on his lips. He smiles shyly, still feeling a bit embarrassed by his actions from before. 

"I'm Adrian," he adds, after a short pause. He stretches out his hand to Deran. The latter gives him an amused look, but still takes the offered hand and shakes it slowly. Deran feels sparks flowing through his entire body. To fully enjoy the touch, he closes his eyes and senses the tingling from head to toe. Adrian’s skin is soft, and it feels so good holding his hand. Not for the first time this evening Deran is seriously questioning his mind. ‘Deran Cody does not turn into a softie who gets all mushy and cheesy. And especially not for a guy he knows for one hour.’ But for some reason he cannot help himself. When he opens his eyes again, he looks right into Adrian’s who watches him with the softest expression on his face. 

Deran clears his throat and tries to calm his nerves. “Yes, I know. I heard that douchebag call you by your name. What are you doing here anyway? Your grandfather owns that gallery?”

"Yes. He opened it 30 years ago. He was an artist himself, but he lacked talent. He was good, but never good enough to make a living out of it. So he chose the next best thing. He created a place where young artists could work, feel encouraged and supported, and set their first foot in the business. In a way, it's his calling to support promising talents, and he always says that whenever one of his protégés succeeds, it feels as if also his dream comes true."

“That sounds great.”

Adrian nods with a smile. "Yes, I think so too. I admire him for his hard work. He is such an inspiration for me. It must be because I can put myself in his place very well."

When he sees Deran’s questioning look, he explains: “I wanted to become a professional surfer when I was younger. That was the dream. But like my grandfather - I was missing the last 10 percent. I was good, competed here and there, even won some surfing events but I was never on the same level as the real pros.” He shrugs his shoulders. “You surf?”, Deran asks amazed. “Me too.” Adrian smiles at that and once again Deran is hypnotized by it. His feelings frighten him. Never before in his life has he met someone who has such an emotional effect on him and with whom he feels so connected. He wants to sit here forever and listen to Adrian talk.

“So, what are you doing?”

“I attend UCSD. Business. I want to open my own surf shop. I used to work at a shop and I really enjoyed it. I would love to do that. Work at the beach and live at the beach.”

“Wow, big dreams. A house at the beach?” Deran teases which makes Adrian laugh. He pushes Deran playfully. “Yes, I know. It probably will never happen. But a boy can dream, can’t he?” He leans his head back until it hits the wall and turns towards Deran. The light of the outdoor lamp shines directly onto Adrian's face now and lets his eyes sparkle. Before Deran can stop himself, he reaches over to the other man and strokes along his cheek. Adrian stops moving, exhales shakily and leans more into the touch. They sit like this for a minute or two, enjoying the moment. In the end Deran takes his hand away after all, but only to get closer to Adrian and to place an arm around his shoulder. A gesture, the other one happily accepts.

“Tell me about your dream house,” asks Deran.

Adrian rests his head on Deran’s shoulder and starts to describe his perfect house on the beach. “I don’t want it to be super fancy. A simple house, with 2 or 3 bedrooms. It should be comfy and cozy, with a huge shower and a nice view over the ocean. Maybe an outdoor area where I can sit with someone special for hours and hours and watch the sunset.”

“So, you are a little romantic.”

“What is wrong with that?” challenges Adrian.

“Nothing, I guess.” Deran cannot believe what he is saying. Though, the most frightening thing for him is, that he isn't even lying. He means it - every word.

“What about you? So far it is just me talking.”

Deran doesn’t respond. He doesn’t know what to say. Adrian can feel his discomfort.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t know how much I can tell you.”

“What do you mean?”

“My life is complicated.”

“Okay? Meaning?”

“I do own a bar.”

“A bar? That is not so complicated.” Adrian chuckles.

“No, you’re right. But I am not just a guy who owns a bar. I do other stuff as well. I just can’t tell you what exactly.”

Adrian watches him intently. “If you cannot talk about it. Is it something secretive? Are you a spy or a FBI agent?” He asks, obviously kidding. The thought that he of all people is working for the feds, makes Deran laugh. He shakes his head. The other one is not done guessing though. “So, if it is nothing like that… Is it something illegal?” Deran’s eyes widen. This guy is not stupid. He hasn’t shared much but Adrian senses that something is up and that it is something big. He connects the dots fast. Another thing that fascinates Deran about the other man.

“I am sorry. I can’t tell you and I hate that I can’t. I don’t know what it is about you. I have never experienced anything like this but when you look at me, I want to tell you everything. I really can’t though. I know this sounds bad and I hope that it doesn’t scare you off.” He looks at Adrian, who does not respond right away but after a brief moment, he shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t.” Deran sighs relieved. “What I can tell you though, is that you don’t have to be scared. I won’t hurt you. Or anyone else for that matter.” And he means it. The moment Adrian has started to tell him about his grandfather’s business and how much it means to him, Deran has given up on the plan to steal the paintings. He will tell Frankie and the others that security is too high or that they take the paintings somewhere else overnight. He will come up with a believable explanation because there is no way, they will do this job.

“You are a mystery, Deran …. What is your last name? Can you tell me that?”

“Cody.”

“Well, you are a mystery, Deran Cody. I feel the same way though. I met you just tonight, but it feels like I’ve known you forever.” Deran sees Adrian gaze wandering over his face. He wants to turn away to avoid this look, but he forces himself to remain still and let Adrian see him. The latter raises his hand and brushes lightly over Deran’s eyebrows, his nose, his lips. He feels Adrian’s fingers moving along his neck to the back of his head, pulling at the hairband and untangling his hair. This kind of attention is new to Deran. No one has ever spent that much time looking at him. Adrian runs his finger through Deran's long hair. “You are very handsome,” he whispers and Deran cannot stop himself from responding: “I can say the same about you.”

The tension thickens between them. Still, none of them dare to make the last move. Both feel the heaviness of the moment and both are aware that when they do take this final step, it will be the start of something huge. Something both have no experience with yet and that scares them. So, they break eye contact and the moment and continue their silent almost whispering conversation. While handing the champagne back and forth and taking turns sipping from the bottle, they sit and share endless stories and memories about their childhood, their families, past relationships and their coming-out. They talk for hours, both not bothering to go back inside. At some point they hear music getting louder and louder inside. Adrian sighs: "The party is over, I think.

Deran does not want to go. Yet, he doesn’t stop Adrian when he untangles himself from him and gets up. Instead of leaving though, Adrian turns around and reaches his hand out to him. Deran takes it and is being pushed up. The other man gets so close to him, that Deran can see the freckles on his face. Adrian wraps his hands around Deran’s neck, he leans in and whispers in Deran’s ear. “Dance with me.” Deran feels goosebumps all over his body. Still he jerks back when he hears the words. “Oh no. I know you still don’t know me very well, but I don’t dance!”

Adrian ignores Deran's objection and starts to move his body. By doing so, he automatically makes the other man move along to the music with him.

"Look who's dancing now?" He mumbles, pulls Deran closer and kisses him. But before Deran even gets a chance to return the kiss, let alone deepen it, Adrian lets him go. “Sorry. I just couldn’t stop myself. I’ve been wanting to do this the entire night.” Deran doesn't waste words. He just drags Adrian back in and kisses him. His kiss is passionate and powerful and he takes the other's face in his hands, draws him as close as possible and tricks Adrian into opening his mouth so that he can slip his tongue in. It is the best kiss of his life. Deran regrets that he has to pull back at some point to catch his breath. He misses the feeling of Adrian’s lips on his immediately. Looking at him he can tell that the other one feels the same way because Adrian wears a dopey expression on his face and can’t stop giggling.

The night must end though. The two of them leave the building and walk over to Deran’s car. “You drive a Porsche?” Adrian asks in astonishment. “No, this is a rental. Don’t worry. I am not that much of a douche,” he jokes. “Where is yours?”

“I don’t have a car. I’ll just call an Uber.”

“I can drive you home if you want.”

“Is that your charming way of inviting yourself over?”

“Uhm, no. I mean, no….” Deran stutters which makes Adrian laugh. “Chill, man. I’m kidding. It’s a nice offer but I am fine. It isn’t far anyway.”

Deran leans against the car, trying to drag the moment out as long as possible. “I wouldn’t mind, however, to see you again,” Adrian admits. He steps closer to Deran and gives the other one a small peck on the lips. Deran wraps his arms around Adrian to keep him from leaving and hums in agreement. “When?”

Adrian is relieved, happy that he is not alone in this. “I have to help my grandfather clean up tomorrow and I have classes on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I have the whole day off!”

“Wednesday, it is. Give me your phone.” Adrian hands it to Deran and watches him type in his number. He then quickly calls himself, so that he can also save the other man’s number. Deran gives Adrian the phone back and pulls him in for another kiss. “I cannot wait.”

Adrian watches him getting in the car and crouches down so that he can look Deran properly in the eyes. “Good Night, Stranger,” he says and leans through the window for a last kiss. Afterwards, Deran sets the car in motion and watches Adrian in his rear mirror until he cannot see him anymore. On his way back, he reminisces the evening. He still cannot believe what has happened to him. When people talk about love at first sight, he has always rolled his eyes and called them crazy. How can someone fall in love within the first moment? Now he gets it. Although it might be too soon to use the word love, he feels it in his guts that Adrian will become one of the most important people in his life. He just knows it. All it took was one good look at Adrian to forget his mission and an honest conversation to give it up entirely. It feels like tonight Deran has met his Kryptonite and he is not even sorry about it.

When he has to stop at a red lighting, he takes out his phone and clicks on Adrian’s name to type in a message in: “Get home safe and sleep well.”

The next morning, Deran wakes up shortly before ten. He turns around and lies in bed for a moment still buzzing from last night and still feeling Adrian’s kiss on his lips. He still feels tired and exhausted so something must have woken him up. He checks his phone and finds a message from Adrian.

“Good Morning, my Knight in Shining Armor. Is it Wednesday yet?” Like the absolute dork, he apparently now is, he smiles at his phone and types back. “Morning. Sadly no. I cannot wait to see you again. Want to meet at my bar?”

“Yes! <3”.


	2. Job On The Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deran had one job and only one job. He was supposed to check out a new potential target for one of their next heists. But then he met a beautiful stranger and within hours his life was turned upside down. Adrian showed him what love could be all about and that it is anything but a waste of time. So if he doesn't want to lose this feeling and Adrian again, he has to find a believable explanation why they can't do this job under any circumstances.

Deran spends the next couple of hours lingering in bed sending messages back and forth with Adrian until the other tells him that he really has to go now to clean up the gallery and to get everything ready for the next weeks. The upcoming weeks will be stressful because even though the opening yesterday was the main event, now the important part starts - selling the exhibits. This has Deran worried. He almost expects Adrian to cancel their plans because he's too busy. But the other one calms him down quickly, reassuring him that nothing in the world would make him miss the date. Deran realizes that he is dreamily smiling at his phone again. Slightly annoyed with himself, he falls back into his bed, grabs his pillow, presses it onto his face and moans loudly. He should pull himself together if he doesn't want his family to notice his sudden mood change and see right through him. This could lead to questions, he is not ready to answer yet. He wants to keep the thing with Adrian to himself for as long as possible before he confronts the other man with the rest of the Cody clan who will most likely scare him away.

Deran gets up, puts on his favorite, most comfortable pair of pants, walks into his kitchen and starts making breakfast, which means for him a cigarette, some leftovers from two days ago and a strong cup of coffee. While he waits for his coffee machine to finish brewing his beverage, his phone pings again. Expecting another text from Adrian, he hurries to pull out the phone. Disappointed, Deran notes that the text is not from the man he can’t stop thinking about, but from Pope. ‘Morning. Hope all went well yesterday. Meeting tonight at 8. Don’t be late this time.’

Slowly, Deran tucks the phone away again. He rubs his face and takes a deep breath. He has hoped he has a bit more time to come up with a good excuse why they cannot do the gallery job. But now he has to think fast. He just hopes that J or one of his brothers have good news and they can focus on one of their targets. Otherwise, he is screwed. Deran pours the coffee in his favorite mug and steps out on his balcony. Breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the view for a moment, he remembers Adrian’s description of his dream house. He thinks that Adrian would like the balcony. One essential thing is missing though. Deran cannot offer a view over the ocean but he has no problem in relocating and finding something bigger at the beach. ‘Okay man, chill. You know this kid for a day. Might be too early to call the realtor,’ he reasons with himself. He got it bad if he is already mentally furnishing their house.

Deep in thought, he sits down on a chair, places his feet on the railing of the balcony and pulls the phone out of his pocket again. Without even noticing it, he opens his chat with Adrian. He cannot help it. He just cannot stop thinking about the other man. He scrolls up and stops when he sees the red heart, Adrian has sent earlier this morning. ‘He really is a little romantic,’ Deran thinks. And to his own surprise, he likes that. This morning he almost responded with the same symbol but something stopped him. In that moment, he felt stupid and self-conscious but now, sitting here and re-reading their conversation, he feels stupid about feeling stupid in the first place. So, he ignores his doubts and insecurities and replies to Adrian’s last text by sending him a photo of himself sitting on the deck with the view in the background. He captures the picture with ‘I kinda wish you were here’ and after taking a deep breath, he adds a red heart.

Adrian’s responds almost instantly. ‘You're playing dirty. I want to be there with you too. 3 days!’

Three days feel like an eternity to Deran at the moment. He closes the messaging app and opens Instagram. Maybe he is lucky and Adrian has a profile. Deran solely uses social media for the bar and to follow some surf mates and from time to time it helps him with selling his alibis more convincingly but besides that he never really bothered with it. Now his account comes in handy as it gives him the perfect opportunity to snoop around a bit and soon enough he not only finds the public profile of one Adrian Dolan, the other man also seems to be a bit of a social media junkie, judging by the sheer amount of pictures he has uploaded on his profile. Deran scrolls through the photos. On a lot of them, he sees beaches, mountains, forests. Adrian must like nature, the outdoors and traveling. Some pictures show Adrian’s grandfather. Then there are quite a few with friends and there is even one with a kid. He can’t retell Adrian mentioning a younger brother. He remembers a sister though. So this might be his nephew or niece - he cannot tell from the picture. He takes a mental note to ask Adrian more about his family. The pictures he likes the most though are the ones with just Adrian on it. There are not a lot. Apparently, the man does not like taking photos of himself, but the ones he has uploaded are perfect. Deran spends more time staring at them than he likes to admit. One fascinates him the most. It is of Adrian sitting in the sand with his wetsuit pulled down to his hip. His eyes are closed, he has a small smile on his lips and his head is facing the sun and he clearly enjoys every ray of sunshine. He seems fully at ease and he looks beautiful. Deran screenshots the photo, saves the image and hopes that no one takes a closer look at his phone. He returns to the app and his finger lingers over the ‘like’ button. ‘Fuck it,’ he thinks and clicks the heart on at least six different pictures before also hitting the ‘follow’ button in the end. Just a couple of seconds later, he receives a notification that Adrian Dolan has started following him and a quick message on instagram with a single word: ‘Stalker ;)’.

Deran laughs at that, puts his phone down on his chair and gets up to lean against the railing and lets his gaze travel around. He should really come up with a game plan for tonight.

\------------------------

Deran arrives 20 minutes earlier than agreed with the clear intent to give his family as few reasons as possible to get pissed at him. Judging by his surprised, raised eyebrows Pope has not expected his youngest brother to show up on time. Deran just shrugs his shoulders and grabs a cold beer from the fridge. During the day, he has thought a lot about what he should do, what he should say and how he should behave tonight so that he can get his way without the others noticing anything unusual. However, he realized rather soon that the longer he thought about it, the more nervous he became. So he gave up and decided to stay calm and take things as they come. It would work somehow.

J enters the kitchen just wearing a towel around his waist and rubbing his hair dry. “Oh you’re already here,” he states surprised when he spots Deran sitting at the kitchen table. “What is it with you? Yes, I am here. We said 8, right?”

J looks at him unimpressed. “Well, that never stopped you before from keeping us waiting.” While turning around and heading back to his old room, he tells them: “I just get changed. What about Craig?”

“He just texted. He’ll be here in 5. He had to pick up Frankie,” yells Pope after him.

Deran can barely stop himself from moaning and rolling his eyes in annoyance. He has hoped that Frankie wouldn’t show up. Convincing her will definitely be harder than persuading his family to go for another job. She is very fixated on that one. Her persistent and pushy behavior during the last week made that pretty clear. Hopefully Pope has good news regarding the jeweler, the other job Frankie has suggested. Deran is tense again and he feels the nervousness from earlier today slowly creeping back in. At this point, he doesn’t care which job they do as long as they stay far away from the gallery.

Craig and Frankie arrive shortly after. But before they talk about anything heist related, they have dinner first. Deran has no appetite and pokes at his food half-heartedly. He cannot wait any longer but before he gets the chance to approach the subject, Pope beats him to it. “We won’t do the jeweler job.” Deran drops his fork on his plate and gasps at Pope. "What? Why not?" Deran can tell that his voice is too loud. As a distraction, he clears his throat, leans back in his chair and tries to act casually; his eyes remain focused on his brother though.

Pope, unbothered by his reaction, explains: “As I have suspected from the start, it is not save. There are cameras everywhere. And I mean everywhere. They have several exits, all equipped with digital locks. To open them, you either need key cards or codes. Inside, there are even laser traps and who knows what else.”

He turns to Frankie: “Sorry, there is just no way. I won’t risk it. Especially not in a city or neighborhood we don’t know our way around.” Frankie nods understandingly. “It’s okay. It was a long shot. I get it. The gallery job is more lucrative anyway….” She starts but is interrupted by Deran’s loud voice. “Well, that’s too bad. Because we can also not do this one. Sorry!”

Deran knows he shouldn’t have yelled when all eyes are directed at him but he couldn’t hold back. Frankie watches him intensively. “Why not?” She asks with a calm voice.

“Same reason. It is not save enough.”

Frankie frowns. “What do you mean?”

Deran has to think quick. “Just that. It’s not save. I talked to someone, trying to get information of how we can get in and most importantly how we can get the pictures out without getting caught. It’s too complicated. He mentioned that they wrap the exhibits every night and store them somewhere in an outside storage room. There is no way we can separate the painting we need from the others. It would take ages to unwrap them all and find the right ones. We can’t do it.”

He first looks at his brothers and then at J. “ There is really no way.” He stresses again with a - as he hopes - convincing tone. Frankie interferes, however. “Hold on Deran. Who told you that? This is the first time I heard of it.”

Deran is getting restless and he fights the urge to get up and pace around.“Someone reliable told me this, okay?”

“No, not okay. This is a very important business contact of mine who I really don’t want to disappoint. Also, it is a well paid job.You cannot pass on it.”

“Frankie, my job was it to check out the scene and to report to you whether I think it is save to do this or not. And I tell you, it is not!”

Frankie’s stare turns deadly. “ I won’t accept it. There has to be a way. You always say you are professionals and great at this. So prove it. Make the impossible, possible then.”

So far the other Codies did not get in the middle and simply observed the discussion silently. Now, Pope turns to Frankie. “How much are we talking?” He sees Deran jumping up in his seat, opening his mouth ready to object but Pope solely raises his hand to keep him quiet. Deran presses his lips together and sinks back in his seat.

“So much how?”

“2 pieces, each worth 150k. So 300 grand in total.”

Pope nods, thinks it over and turns to Deran.

“You say, there is no chance?”

“Yes, Pope. They wrap the paintings with the same paper and store them all together. Apparently due to insurance reasons. Maybe they gained bad experience in the past. I don’t know. I really don’t think we should do it. You don’t trust my judgement?”

Deran feels uncomfortable lying to his brothers like this, but desperate times call for desperate measure. “Why are we fixating on this? What about Craig and J?”

Pope nods again and focuses on the other two Codies. Frankie rolls her eyes and takes her glass of wine and finishes the entire glass in one gulp. She seems just as fed up with the situation as Deran is.Pope ignores them both. “J, what about you?”

Reading J is hard. It always is. If he has an opinion about all of this, he doesn’t show it. Now that it is his turn to speak, he leans a bit forward and talks in his calm voice. “We can do it.” Deran looks up but before he can relax and get his hopes up that his problem has been solved, J utters a but.

“But it will take time. That guy is in deep shit. I am 100 % sure of it. But I need proper evidence. Once I have it, we will make our move. He will pay for sure. He is that kind of guy who likes to play the fields but cannot face the consequences. Plus, he is loaded.”

“Sounds, good.” Pope says approvingly. “Craig?”

Craig sits up straight and puts both hands on the table. He looks at them with a serious expression on his face but then the frown turns into a big grin. “Easy job. The guy is not very clever. He shared everything once he trusted me. Which honestly didn’t take much! We had a couple of shots and afterwards he basically told me his entire life story. Stupid fuck, really! He has one camera facing the cash register. Valuables are stored in a safe in the back. That idiot even showed me where he hides it. Behind a painting, can you believe it? That should be a walk in the park.”

“Okay. Payment?”

“We’re in luck. He doesn’t trust banks. So he pays his deliveries in cash. A bigger delivery is due in 2 weeks time. I heard him discuss it on the phone. Some guy ordered some Japanese Single Malt that goes for 12 k a bottle. He ordered six of them. So the other orders included, I’d say we’re talking about 80-90 k. It’s good! But of course less than Frankie’s job!”

That is Frankie’s key to speak up again. “Exactly my point! How can you pass on 300,000 dollars?That is 60 each. Relocating the pictures overnight might complicate things but we can handle this. How about one of us works at the gallery? Then this one can mark the paintings for example and store them in a way they are easy to grab.”

Deran can tell that his brothers and J are considering her idea. Again he takes a deep breath, condemning Frankie for her perseverance. “Great idea,” he states. “And who should do it? You cannot do it, I can’t do it and Craig can’t do it as he has pointed out last week. So that leaves either Pope and J. And then they know 4 of our faces. What if something goes wrong and they get a glimpse of one of us. They can easily identify us. Why are you pushing this if we have a perfectly good option with Craig’s job,” he points to Craig. “We can do this one easily without any troubles.”

Pope raises his hands to appease the situation. “Stop. We heard all options. We will do J’s thing but we also have to do a job now and earn some money. I say we vote. We are 5 people, 2 options and no abstentions. Whichever of the two jobs has the most votes, we’ll do. That’s fair!”

All nod. Deran is less convinced but he also knows there is no arguing with Pope. Pope called them each individually.

“Craig?”

“I’ll choose the liquor store. Easy money.”

“J?”

“Payment is better and with more planning, I think we can pull it off. The gallery.”

“Okay, Deran?”

“Liquor Store.”

“Frankie - I guess you stick to your job?”

“Obviously.”

Deran feels his leg bouncing. To keep it steady, he grabs onto his thigh. Now it is on Pope. He senses the gaze of his oldest brother on him, so he forces himself to return the look. Pope stares him right in the eyes as if he is looking for something and it seems that he finds his answer because he nods almost unnoticeable. “Okay, I pick the liquor store as well. Why risk it?”

Deran releases a breath he doesn’t know he was holding. He gets up, walks over to the fridge, grabs another beer and almost chokes on the big sip he takes. Pope approaches him and Deran turns to him. “Thanks, man.”

“No need to thank me. I trust your judgement. If you say, it’s not good, then we don’t do it.”

“Thanks.” Deran repeats and pulls Pope in a half-hug, and claps him on the shoulder. When he releases him, Pope is watching him with a pondering look. Deran reckons that Pope might suspect something. Who could blame him? Even though he tried his best, he knows that he has been acting strange the whole evening. Pope is very perceptive when it comes to these things.

“Who did you talk to at the gallery anyway? You were well informed. Even better than Frankie and these are her contacts.”

“Someone who is close to the owner of the gallery.” Deran replies and hopes that this answer makes Pope drop the matter.

“How close?”

Apparently not. Deran is not particularly keen on bringing up Adrian in this conversation but he also sees no way how to evade this question.

“It was his grandson.”

“Well, he should know it.” Pope smiles at him and with that, the oldest Cody leaves his brother alone and heads over to Craig who decides that is time for a game of pool.

Deran grabs the opportunity to havemoment to himself. He takes another beer and steps outside on the terrace, closes the door behind him and sits on one of the loungers by the pool. He feels his tense muscles slowly relax and he can breathe properly again. The evening didn’t go as smoothly as he has hoped, but Deran is happy with the result. He doesn’t know what he would have done if this family has voted differently. He probably would have dropped out and he most likely would have warned Adrian about a potential hit. Although he hates the thought of betraying his family like this, he knows he would have done it. And once again he is scared by the power Adrian already has over him.

But despite his doubts, the tingling in his stomach that he feels when he thinks of the other man, shows him that all this is worth it - passing on lucrative jobs, losing money, lying to his family, betraying their trust. He pulls out his phone and texts Adrian. ‘Hey, are you good? I was just thinking about you. How was your day?’ Instead of texting him back, Adrian decides to call him. Deran answers the phone immediately. “Hi, I am glad you called.” Deran turns around to check on his brothers, gets up and moves a bit further away from the house.

“Hi Deran. I am good, but I had the longest day. I feel every bone in my body.”

Deran laughs at that and starts moving around, not noticing Pope, who stands in the door frame and watches him interested. “Tell me everything.”

“Ah no, I don’t want to bore you. I am just very happy to hear your voice.” Deran presses the phone tighter to his ear, smiles shyly and mumbles softly: “Same here.”

—————-

It is Wednesday and Deran checks the delivery he has just received. He counts the bottles, kegs and casts and compares the amount with the numbers on his sheet. He gets interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He looks up, swears and yells. “We are closed. Can’t you read the sign?”

He hears a familiar voice answering: “Sorry. I can come back later if you’re busy. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The moment Deran recognizes the voice and knows that Adrian waits outside, he hurries towards the door, turns the key to unlock the door and opens it. Adrian stands in front of him with his hands in his pockets and a timid grin on his face. “Sorry. I am early. I just couldn’t wait any longer.“

Deran checks his watch and indeed, Adrian is almost two hours early. “Someone’s eager,” he teases but steps away from the entrance at the same time to let Adrian in. He strokes Adrian’s arm as he passes him and adds. “No need to apologize. I am happy you are here.”

They walk through the bar and stop at the bar counter, looking at each other sheepishly, not knowing what to say or do next.They haven’t seen each other after their night at the gallery opening and although they have talked on the phone almost every day since then and texted constantly, both seem to be slightly overwhelmed of the moment. Before it can really turn awkward, however, Adrian steps up to Deran, whispers more to himself than to Deran how silly this is and pulls the other one into a kiss. After a few seconds he lets go of Deran, licks his lips as if he wants to keep the taste and smiles at Deran. “Hello, Stranger.”

Deran laughs and this time he’s the one grabbing the other one and embracing him tightly.“Hi, it is so good to see you.” He leans a bit back to get the chance to look at Adrian’s face properly. “How are you? What can I get you? Beer?”

Adrian returns the laugh and nods. “Beer sounds good.” Deran lets go of him, turns to the kitchen to grab a cold beer from the fridge and almost stumbles over the casts which are still standing in the middle of the bar and are blocking the way. Adrian lunges towards him, grabs him and prevents him from falling. “Careful, there. Maybe we should clean this up first?”

Deran shakes his head. “You don’t have to do this. I didn’t invite you here so that you work and cary cartons and casts - again.” He states, referring to Adrian’s long day of packing, moving and unpacking hundreds of exhibits on Sunday. The other man dismisses Deran’s concerns with a soft smile. “I am happy to help. After all, I got here early. Just show me where to put things.” With these words, Adrian bends down and picks up a box of bottles and looks at Deran questioningly. The blond grins and points with a nod of his head towards the back of the bar. With Adrian’s help the delivery is quickly sorted and stowed away. Because they work so efficiently, they even have time to set-up the bar for the evening business. While Adrian polishes glasses and places them on the shelf above the bar counter, Deran cuts limes but is constantly distracted because every now and then, Adrian’s shirt slips when he reaches up and reveals his well-trained abs. The first two, three times it happens, Deran can still keep it together but at some point he drops his knife and the limes and pulls Adrian to himself. Adrian shrieks surprised but starts laughing when Deran basically attacks him with a kiss. Deran chokes his laughter by deepening the kiss. He has waited four long days for this moment and he can tell that Adrian feels the same way. All the shyness from before is forgotten and he wraps his arms around Deran to press him even tighter against him. Once started, the two of them cannot stop and lose themselves completely in their passion. Deran slides his hands under Adrian’s shirt and up his body. Adrian leans in that touch, turns his head slightly to the side and moans. This gives Deran the chance to let his lips glide over Adrian’s cheek to his neck. He’s just about to explore the sensitive spot behind Adrian's earlobe, which makes Adrian gasp even more, when they both hear someone coughing. They were so distracted with each other that they didn’t notice that two people have entered the bar through the back door. Startled, they let go of each other and turn towards the two men. Still confused because of their heavy make-out session, Deran stares at his two brothers. Craig has a dirty grin on his face and wriggles his eyebrows, whereas Pope has a look on his, which Deran cannot read.

“Uhm… hi. What are you doing here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Clearly,” Craig teases. “You’ve been too busy eating his face.” He points to Adrian who takes turns looking at Deran and the two other men, not sure what to do. He feels Deran tensing up. So he turns to him and offers: “Maybe, it is better if I go.”

Deran shakes his head within an instant. “No. there is no need. It’s fine.” He puts both of his hands on Adrian’s shoulders and nudges him carefully towards his brothers. “Adrian, these are my brothers - Pope and Craig.”

He turns to the two Cody men. “Guys, this is Adrian. You guys have the worst timing by the way.” Craig, still smirking, reaches for Adrian’s hand to greet him properly.

“Nice to meet you. And Adrian is …?” He directs the question to Deran who shoots him an evil glare. Of course Craig uses this opportunity to wind him up. He just knows him too damn well. Nervously he runs his hands through his hair and looks over to Adrian. But the situation doesn’t seem to bother him. The other guy takes Craig’s hand and simply responds. “Nice to meet you too. Deran has told me quite a bit about you. And I am his … .” He hesitates just for a second before adding confidently. “… his boyfriend.”

Adrian glances over to Deran and silently checks if he is okay with his statement. Deran steps to him, takes his hand and squeezes it briefly to demonstrate his agreement. “Right, he is my boyfriend.” He confirms with his brothers. He looks at Adrian in awe. He would not have dared to introduce the other as his boyfriend but he realizes more and more that he is dating a confident and brave man. Craig and Pope need a moment to comprehend what has just happened. Never in their lives has Deran introduced anyone as his boyfriend. Not even close. They stare at the couple for quite some time before Craig shakes off the surprise and tells Adrian: “Well then boyfriend, let’s drink to that.” He moves behind the counter and prompts Adrian to follow him, who wriggles his eyebrows at Deran, smiles at him and moves to join Craig. Before doing so, he pecks Deran on the lips and whispers: “I guess your brother approves. Wish me luck.”

Deran’s gaze follows Adrian walking over to Craig. His brother has already poured two tequila shots and hands one to Adrian. Both down it in one gulp and Craig instantly refills their glasses. Deran rolls his eyes and turns his head to Pope who has silently watched the scene and is now looking at Deran. Deran squirms under the intense glare of the other man. “What?”

“Boyfriend?”

Deran hates the conversation already but he answers his brother nonetheless. “Yes.”

“Since when does Deran Cody do boyfriends?”

“Since I met him.”

“This has been going on for how long?”

“Pope what is the matter?” He challenges Pope but is just confronted with another silent stare. “A couple of days, okay?”

Pope stretches his neck and looks over to Craig and Adrian.

“Where did you meet?” Deran doesn’t answer this question immediately. It unsettles him, that he doesn’t know where Pope is going with this. He knows these are just normal questions and he understands that his brothers must havea lot of them, considering he never showed any interest in entering a serious relationship but his gut tells him that Pope is not asking these questions out of politeness but rather because he is up to something.

“Why does it matter?”

Pope raises his eyebrows and continues with the silent treatment. Deran picks up the towel Adrian has used before to clean the glasses and starts wiping the bar counter. He needs to do something with his hands to distract from his slightly trembling hands. As casually as possible he explains: “ At the opening party.”

Pope snorts briefly and shakes his head. “He’s the one you talked to, right?The one close to the owner of the gallery? He is the grandson?”

There is no way to deny it. Deran knows his older brother. He knows how intuitive he is. So he admits to the truth and barely nods his head. Pope’s eye twitches and Deran can tell that he is angry. “Pope, I couldn’t do it.” He checks if Adrian is watching him and listening to their conversation but the other man is still busy drinking one shot after another with Craig and laughing. He still lowers his voice though. “I couldn’t do that to him.” He doesn't give Pope a chance to reply anything and continues. “I saw him and something happened. I cannot tell you what and why but the moment I saw him, I had to get to know him, talk to him. And then he was this great guy. He was nice, genuinely nice, and he cares so much about the gallery and his grandfather. And then we talked and he is smart and interesting and I just couldn’t do it.” He pauses for a moment, briefly looking over to Adrian again. He returns his focus to Pope with eyes begging him to understand. “And I mean, look at him.”

“Okay, okay. That’s enough.” Pope stops him. “I don’t need to know all the details.” He runs his hands through his hair and gives Deran the side eye. “This is not good, Deran. This could have been a big job with good money.” Deran drops his head and looks rather down. “I know.” He admits but also clarifies. “Pope, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have done that - let this opportunity pass, lie to you. But he could be it, you know? I have never experienced something like this. Not even close. Until now, I didn’t even know I wanted it. But now that I have it, I am not willing to give it up again.”

Pope smiles at him. “Okay little brother. Let’s forget about this one.” Deran breathesa sigh of relief and glances over his shoulder to Adrian. Pope sees the dreamy look on his brother’s face, snorts again and hits him playfully over his head. “Stop with the hearty eyes.” He laughs and pulls him in a brotherly hug. “I’m happy for you. Really. It is time for you to grow up.”

Deran shoves him and moves to head over to his boyfriend. Before he could do so, Pope stops him. “You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

Deran hold his gaze and shakes his head. He knows that this is not entirely true but he is not in the mood to have that conversation now. Especially not with Adrian in the same room. Deran tags Pope with him so that both can join the other, already pretty tipsy men. Craig gets two more glasses, fills them up and passes them to his brothers. Deran raises it with one hand and puts the other on Adrian’s nape of the neck and plays softly with his hair while drinking up.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this little story. I might have gone a bit overboard with the romance, but I just needed something cute and simple after this rather dark and depressing season.


End file.
